Grandma’s Dutch Apple Pie

My mind has been more withdrawn than normal as of late. It’s wandering and pensive and completely overwhelmed with thoughts of everything. From noticing the way the Willamette river turns silver at dusk and the city windows reflect golden as I pass over the bridge. It’s truly the time to stop and smell the pale green pumpkins. Before we cozy in for the winter, we harvest our dreams and take notice of our directions.

I’m not usually like this. I’m more of a list maker-type, a planner, a production worshiper. However, over the past few days I’ve been feeling a little worn, a little more tired, and absolutely exhausted. This has caused a shift in my mood, triggering a shift in my routines, and a lowering my ability to produce at a rate at which I’ve grown accustomed.

I’ve secluded myself and withdrawn for some very real moments of serenity like the dripping faucet on bath-bombed water. The complete neglect of ritual duties that take the form of, for example: makeup. The energy I do have has been saved for things like baking and cooking, brainstorming, laundry-ing, and doing the very fun task of bringing the upstairs things downstairs and downstairs things upstairs.

I’m not saying that this isn’t welcomed. It’s my body’s way of recovering from a crazy few months. I’ve found myself in a purposeful 30-hour work week, and my soul is rejoicing by taking in the scenery: the lady outside of the yoga studio head to toe in Lululemon, bumming, and American Spirits; the silver-haired folk band that is currently playing in the coffee shop as I write this drowning out my preferred Pandora playlist;  a Nike campus bike that has somehow found its way onto Hawthorne street.

This is my way of “smelling the roses.”

And so, here we are again, very deep into the post before I even mention why we are really here…a pie. Grandma’s Dutch Apple Pie, in fact. She gave it to me the other week when I frantically e-mailed her for the recipe. In true Grandma Rita form she gave it to me in “this and that” form. I followed it to a T(ish).

Dutch Apple Pie is far superior to regular pie. Not that I don’t love the look of a good ole’ lattice crust. But man alive, a buttery crumble is just about enough do me in—those tart, crunchy, apples seasoned with a heavy helping of freshly ground nutmeg. It’s the perfect recipe to make when you find yourself in the middle of a slow 30-hour work week with only enough energy for a bottom crust.

Grandma’s Dutch Apple Pie

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I asked my grandma for her famous Dutch apple pie recipe the other day, and it was as good as I remember, so I’m sharing it with the world.

• Author: Karlee Flores
• Prep Time: 1 hour
• Cook Time: 70 minutes
• Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes
• Yield: 8 servings 1x

Ingredients

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|| Crust ||

3 cups All Purpose flour, plus more for dusting

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1 cup butter, chilled

½ cup buttermilk, plus 2 tablespoons

|| Filling ||

4 large apples, any variety but I prefer Granny Smith

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

pinch of salt

|| Crumble ||

1 cup flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter, melted

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Instructions

Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Grate the chilled butter and toss with the dry ingredients.

Start to work the butter in with your hands until the mixture starts to look buttery and the flecks of butter in the dough are pea-sized or smaller. Drizzle in the buttermilk, and toss together with a fork until it’s too stiff to work anymore. Use your hands to fold the dough and squeeze the dough together to make one dough ball.

Shape the dough into a disk about the size of a dinner plate. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Roll out dough as thin as you can get it. About a 12-inch circle.

Place dough onto a small 9-inch pie plate. Cut the edges around leaving a 1-inch overhang. Fold the overhang over and crimp. Place crust back in the fridge while making the filling.

For the apple decoration, use the scraps to cut out shapes with an apple-shaped cutter. Brush with egg wash (1 egg yolk, 1 tablespoon whole milk). Bake for 15-20 minutes at 400 degrees. Remove from oven and cool.

|| Filling ||

Peel and thinly slice apples and toss into a medium sized bowl. Toss the apples with the sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

|| Crumble ||

Mix all filling ingredients together until crumbly.

|| Assemble ||

Give the apples another toss before pouring into the pie shell. Evenly top the pie with the crumble and place in the oven for 45 – 50 minutes.

Let cool for 1-2 hours before serving. Top with apple-shaped crust decoration.

Keywords: apple, pie, apple pie, Dutch apple pie